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2023 Orlando City Season in Review: Antonio Carlos

The starting center back missed a good chunk of the season due to injury but was his normal self when available.

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10 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City signed Brazilian center back Antonio Carlos on a one-year loan from Palmeiras in Brazil’s Serie A on Dec. 30, 2019. Carlos became an instant starter on Orlando’s back line and the Lions made his acquisition permanent on Dec. 1, 2020, inking him to a three-year contract through 2023 with an option year for 2024. The Brazilian has been a standout defender during his time in Orlando, which is seemingly about to come to a close this off-season (more on that below), although he has missed some time due to injuries.

Let’s take a look back at his 2023 season.

Statistical Breakdown

The Rio de Janeiro native appeared in 18 regular-season matches in 2023 (16 starts), logging 1,410 minutes — his lowest totals of games, starts, and minutes in his four seasons with the Lions. He scored one goal and added a career-high two assists, attempting 12 shots and putting a career-high six on target. His passing rate was a solid 86.7%, just a few tenths of a percentage point behind his last two seasons. Despite having two assists, Carlos was somehow not credited with any key passes on the season. Defensively, AC chipped in nine tackles, 16 interceptions, 71 clearances, and 13 blocks. He committed 19 fouls on the season, drew 11 fouls from his opposition, and was booked six times but was never sent off.

Carlos appeared in all three of Orlando City’s postseason matches but did not start any of them, logging just 59 total minutes. He did not score or assist on a postseason goal, attempting two shots but neither was on target. His passing rate was just 72.7% in those matches, and he had no key passes, but his goal in two of those games was simply to get rid of the ball to make Nashville reset and try to break Orlando City down to find an equalizer. Defensively, Carlos tallied two interceptions and two clearances. He did not commit a foul, suffered three, and was not booked in the playoffs.

As Carlos was injured coming out of preseason, he did not feature in Orlando City’s two Concacaf Champions League matches against Tigres back in March. He also did not appear in the Lions’ U.S. Open Cup game at Charlotte on May 9.

Carlos started all three of Orlando’s Leagues Cup matches, logging all 270 available minutes. He did not score a goal but assisted on Mauricio Pereyra’s 46th-minute strike against Santos Laguna on July 29. He also scored on his penalty attempt in the shootout after the draw against the Houston Dynamo on July 21, helping the Lions claim the upper hand in the group. He attempted one shot in the competition, but it was off target. He recorded three key passes and chipped in three tackles. He committed one foul and suffered four, but the one “foul” he was called for was a costly one, as it was one of the softer penalties that we’ve seen given since the Lions made the jump to MLS in 2015, handing Inter Miami a spot kick to go up 2-1 early in the second half on July 21. To add insult to injury, he was booked for a “hard foul” on the play.

Best Game

It’s an easy decision, because it was the game in which he scored his only goal of the season, but I’m going with Orlando City’s 2-1 road win over Atlanta United on July 15 because of his two-way play in that match. Caleb Wiley opened the scoring for the hosts in the 22nd minute, but Carlos pulled his team level just three minutes later, matching his jersey number with a goal in the 25th minute. Pereyra sent in a great ball on a free kick and Carlos absolutely smashed it home with his head to tie the score at 1-1.

Carlos wasn’t done helping his team win that match. He contributed an interception, six clearances, and two blocked shots on the defensive end, passed at a 91% clip during his 90 minutes, scored on his only shot, and picked up a yellow card. He and his teammates helped the Lions hold down the fort and Duncan McGuire scored the game winner to lift the Lions to a victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. For his efforts, The Mane Land staff named him our Man of the Match.

2023 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff awarded Carlos a solid composite rating of 7 out of 10 for his overall 2023 performance. This is slightly below his 2020 grade of 7.5, a full point below his best season grade of 8 in 2021, and on par with his 7 out of 10 last year. Carlos was solid, but his injuries early and later in the season perhaps kept him from peaking or finding a consistently high level that we’ve seen at times during his MLS career, when he’s been on the cusp of being a Best XI-type defender. There’s no doubt that when healthy and in rhythm, he’s the club’s best center back, but those two things have been issues over his last two years in Orlando.

2024 Outlook

Although the club holds an option year for 2024 on Carlos’ contract, and indeed has exercised that option, Orlando City has already announced in its year-end roster status update that it is in negotiations for a potential transfer of the center back. Reports surfaced in the second half of the season about Brazilian side Fluminense making a play for his services and perhaps Carlos would like to return home at this stage of his career (he’ll turn 31 in March), especially after sustaining some injuries in recent years. Carlos plays hard, and that can take a toll on the body, especially beyond age 30 in a physical position like the one he plays. I expect a transfer to be completed soon, but it’s fair to say he’s one of the best, if not the very best, central defenders to wear purple in the club’s MLS era. He will be missed when he goes, whether that’s this winter or later, if a deal can’t be finalized.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/11/24

Orlando Pride in Portland, U.S. men and women news, international upsets, and more.

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2 days ago

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October 11, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Milton has finally made its way out of Florida, though many of us will be dealing with the aftermath for a while. We hope that you and yours are safe and that the damage is minimal. I know that many are still without power — which is why I’m writing Lion Links today instead of Marcus Mitchell. Fortunately, the Orlando Pride play in Portland tonight, although it will be a late one. Let’s get to the links.

Pride in Portland

The Orlando Pride may be the NWSL Shield winners, but with three matches left in the regular season, the job is not done. Now, the club will take on the Portland Thorns. The Thorns haven’t been great as of late, but Providence Park is a tough place to play. While the club is focused on the upcoming playoffs, the Pride still want to finish undefeated in the regular season. Portland, like many clubs, are fighting for a playoff spot.

USWNT Players in the News

Lindsey Horan didn’t have the best Olympics in my opinion, but she is doing very well in her start to Lyon’s season. She’s scored five goals in four matches to help Lyon top the table. Back home, Crystal Dunn is being honored by Empowerment on the East River hosted by Black Players for Change.

USMNT in Action

The USMNT plays its first match under Mauricio Pochettino Saturday night against Panama, and you can watch it on multiple platforms. There are no conflicts of interest this go-around, but next year, some players will need to choose between playing in the Club World Cup or the Gold Cup.

International Results

Orlando City, and all the other teams and leagues, aren’t playing right now due to an international break. The matches have already begun. Perhaps the biggest news was Greece’s stunning 2-1 win over England. The victory puts Greece atop Group B2 in the UEFA Nations League competition.

Over in Group A2, Italy blew a two-goal lead to draw Belgium 2-2. There were plenty of other results, including Erling Haaland becoming his country’s all-time top scorer after scoring a brace in Norway’s 3-0 win over Slovenia. If you want to catch more matches, here’s where you can watch.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. Check back tonight for our Pride match recap, and follow The Mane Land on Twitter during the match. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/10/24

Orlando City’s potential as a playoff dark horse, the Orlando Pride’s rise to prominence, the USMNT prepares for Panama, and more.

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3 days ago

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October 10, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

I hope you’re all staying safe out there as Hurricane Milton tears across the state of Florida. While we endure the storm and wait for the Orlando Pride to play in Portland on Friday night, let’s distract ourselves with some links from around the soccer world.

Orlando City’s Dark Horse Potential

On the latest episode of the Offside with Taylor Twellman podcast, he spoke on how Orlando City will be a dark horse in the tournament. The Lions have been on an incredible run of form over the past few months and can host in the first round of the playoffs if they manage to hold onto the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference. Nearly all of the team’s attackers are hitting their stride and a recent win over FC Cincinnati is evidence that the Lions aren’t to be overlooked in this year’s playoffs.

“[Orlando City is] the best team in MLS since July 1 and they are scoring goals for fun while winning 10 of those 13 games,” Twellman said. “They will fight, they will claw, basically they will do anything to get under your skin.

“Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to play this version of Orlando City.”

How the Orlando Pride Made History

It still feels a bit surreal that the Orlando Pride lifted the NWSL Shield with three games left to play this season. Here’s a great feature by Henry Bushnell of Yahoo Sports that dives into some of the reasons behind the Pride’s dominance this season. Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter has helped build a culture of confidence, comfort, and resilience by investing in the players as humans and not just what they can do on the field.

Pro Soccer Wire‘s Jason Anderson detailed how the Pride were able to beat the Washington Spirit to deservedly lift the trophy and it’s also a great read. The Pride did well to adjust to the Spirit’s commitment to their formation and cranked up the tempo to create opportunities to win.

MLS 2024 22 Under 22 List Unveiled

Although Michael Halliday and Heine Gikling Bruseth were eligible, no Lions made this year’s MLS 22 Under 22. Inter Miami midfielder Diego Gomez tops the list, with Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna and the Philadelphia Union’s Jack McGlynn rounding out the top three. The youngest player on the list is 15-year-old midfielder Cavan Sullivan, while the Chicago Fire’s Chris Brady is the only goalkeeper to make the cut. Of the 22 players listed, 16 play in the Eastern Conference. As for notable players who weren’t listed, CF Montreal’s Caden Clark has thrived since being traded by Minnesota United and Matai Akinmboni deserves some recognition for his role in D.C. United’s defense at 17 years old.

USMNT Prepares for Panama

The United States Men’s National Team will play its first match under Mauricio Pochettino on Saturday when it takes on Panama in a friendly in Austin. This will be a rematch of when the two nations squared off in Copa America on June 27, with the U.S. falling 2-1. The Yanks failed to make it out of the group stage of that tournament and Gregg Berhalter was fired as head coach in July. A statement win against a Panamanian side that’s currently 37th in the FIFA rankings would be a great start to Pochettino’s tenure as head coach.

Free Kicks

That’ll do it for me today, as my power has just gone out, so it’s the perfect time to wrap things up. Stay safe out there!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/9/24

Orlando City’s on fire, OCB to face the Fire (2), the USMNT’s upcoming friendly, and more.

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4 days ago

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October 9, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. I made the trip down to Inter&Co Stadium to see the Orlando Pride win the 2024 NWSL Shield over the weekend. I know it was raining — fortunately, I remembered my rain jacket — but if you weren’t there, you really missed an amazing night. You can read about it in our recap, but seeing the team raise that shield was unforgettable. Hopefully, it won’t be the only hardware the Pride raise this year. Let’s get to the links.

Red Hot Lions

Orlando City has won 10 of its last 13 matches to climb into position to potentially begin the playoffs with home-field advantage. The run of good form has the Lions sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The latest 3-1 victory over FC Cincinnati moved the team from eighth to sixth in the MLS Power Rankings, and up to fifth in the Goal.com Power Rankings. Orlando City’s last match of the season will be at home against Atlanta United on October 19.

Pride’s Success No Accident

Marta had a great match Sunday and more than earned her moment in the sun when she lifted the NWSL Shield. Of course, none of that happens if the people working behind the scenes aren’t doing everything possible to help the Pride in this incredible turnaround. The players will likely tell you that the club’s success is in part thanks to the organization that has been built.

Of course, not every women’s club gets the amount of support that the Orlando Pride receive. Many clubs do not have the infrastructure from staff to facilities to truly grow the women’s game. It’s an issue for many clubs in various leagues across the world. Coaches end up having to pick up the slack, and that isn’t sustainable. While I’m grateful that the Wilf family and Haley Carter are providing the necessary tools for the Pride to succeed, I would like to see other organizations step up as well.

OCB to Face Chicago Fire II in Playoffs

Orlando City B will square off against Chicago Fire II away from home to start the playoffs. OCB finished the MLS NEXT Pro regular season in fifth place — which isn’t too bad when you look back a few weeks. Unfortunately for OCB, the top four clubs get to choose their first-round opponent in the playoffs (well, the top three do…the fourth-place club doesn’t really have a choice). It’s one of the weird things that MLS NEXT Pro does. No one above the fourth-place Chicago Fire II opted to play the Young Lions. The match between the Young Lions and Chicago Fire II will take place Sunday, Oct. 20, at 3 p.m.

USMNT Ready for Poche

The Mauricio Pochettino era for the USMNT kicks off Saturday with a friendly against Panama at Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX. Three days later, the new U.S. boss will face rival Mexico in Guadalajara. Big-name players like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie are on the roster. One player who won’t be there is the injured Folarin Balogun. That might open a window of opportunity for Josh Sargent to make a splash with the new coach. Sargent’s more rounded style of play is something that forwards have demonstrated under Pochettino at the club level. A friendly is exactly the sort of place for Sargent to show his stuff.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. Check back this week as we get you ready for the Pride’s upcoming match in Portland. Most importantly, stay safe as this hurricane makes its way towards Florida. Vamos Orlando!

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